As news spread overnight that Jon Lester had spurned Red Sox ownership in favor of the boy genius who once had escaped its employ dressed in a gorilla suit, another slightly less audacious scene began to spread across the Internet.
We're talking about...

Brad Penny knew an adjustment was needed if he was going to succeed Monday in the home run haven also known as Miller Park.
He had only lasted three innings in his previous start in spacious Marlins Park, giving up four runs and seven hits.
The...

Teammates had been asking Marcell Ozuna about when he was going to hit his 20th home run.
He promised it would be memorable.
"I said, 'Wait, that ball is going to be far away and ugly.' That's what we say in the Domincan [Republic]," Ozuna said,...

The Miami Marlins have hit back-to-back home runs twice this season.
In both instances Garrett Jones provided the encore blast.
On April 25 he followed Jarrod Saltalamacchia against the Mets in New York. Monday he followed Marcell’s Ozuna’s eye-opening blast to center field with an opposite-field shot of his own to left off Yovani Gallardo.
“For a pitcher, I don’t know what they’re thinking after they give up a home run. I think he was trying to hit his spots, and I...

PITTSBURGH -- Pennant race games are often nerve wracking, but Gerrit Cole loves them.
The righthander pitched into the eighth inning for yet another September win, and left fielder Starling Marte homered as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Boston Red Sox 3-2 Thursday night.
The Pirates swept the three-game series, ran their winning streak to four games and won for the 11th time in their last 13 games while keeping pace in the National League pennant race.
"Games like this are fun," Cole said.
Entering...

Yovani Gallardo Photos

8:10 p.m., Miller Park, Milwaukee.
On the mound
RHP Brad Penny (1-1, 6.61) vs. RHP Yovani Gallardo (8-8, 3.43): Through five appearances, including three as a starter, Penny is allowing a .324 opponents' batting average (22-for-68), including a .400 average (14-for-35) and 1.014 on-base plus slugging percentage against right-handed hitters. Just two of Gallardo's eight wins have come at Miller Park, where he owns a 4.14 ERA in 82 2/3 innings compared to a 2.76 ERA in 88 innings on the road.
Tuesday ...

Team outlooks are listed in predicted order of finish. Lineups and rotations are projections.
EAST DIVISION
1 l Washington
2013 l 86-76, second place
Last year in playoffs l 2012
They are supposed to blossom after years of suffering, top draft picks — Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg (first overall), Ryan Zimmerman (fourth) and Anthony Rendon (sixth) — and a few summers of seasoning. When Doug Fister, 29, returns, he'll be the old man in what should be the majors' most dynamic...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said the decision to keep rookie Caleb Joseph on the active roster and send Steve Clevenger to Triple-A Norfolk was “51 to 49 percent.”
In activating first baseman Chris Davis from the paternity list, the Orioles needed to send one of their three catchers to the minor leagues. It wasn’t going to be veteran Nick Hundley, whom the Orioles acquired in a deal with the San Diego Padres on Saturday.
So the choices were Joseph, a 27-year-old career minor...